Inspired nonprofit marketing: Kelly Rembold [profile]

As a journalist turned nonprofit marketer, Kelly Rembold finds herself in the exciting role of Marketing Specialist at Lark Enterprises, Inc, an organization that provides job training and employment opportunities to individuals with disabilities, in New Castle, Pennsylvania. During her career as a journalist, Kelly covered stories about charities and learned a lot about the challenges nonprofits face today.

“I heard about the negatives, like a lack of funding, staff, and resources, and an increased need for services. As a result, I came into the nonprofit world with an understanding and a compassion for causes,” says Kelly who previously wrote for publications such as the Tribune Chronicle in Warren, Ohio.

Embracing these challenges and turning them into opportunities, Kelly is now responsible for Lark’s digital media programs including social media, website and email marketing.

Telling nonprofit success stories

Like many nonprofit marketers, Kelly’s most rewarding role is telling the success stories of people her organization has helped. She recently wrote a story about a client who has been receiving services from Lark for over 20 years and has successfully held a job at the local university for 19 of those years.

“It is always so rewarding to see our clients succeed in the way that this individual has. It’s truly an honour to get to know them, and it reminds me of what Lark is all about — helping individuals become self-reliant and integrated into the community!” says Kelly.

Launching an email marketing strategy

Kelly then shared the client’s inspiring story on social media and email marketing. With Kelly’s expertise, Lark launched its email marketing strategy to stay in touch with former and longtime customers, enabling them to share even more information about the organization. Kelly’s biggest lesson learned on email marketing is the importance of concise, direct messaging and segmentation. Becoming more informed of Lark’s unique relationship with its customers, she’s been able to make emails more personal and relevant to readers.

Where does Kelly get ideas for these dynamic emails? Her biggest inspiration has been her team at Lark. “I realized that input from others can help drive the direction and success of our campaigns in a whole new way. Team is key! Everyone has something to offer.” What’s more, email campaigns have been successful at engaging staff and encouraging them to share great content.

Lucky to have ‘other hats’

Also responsible for coordinating media coverage, supporting fundraising efforts, and advertising along with event planning, Kelly has her hands full. Her experience as a journalist prepared her well for a role that involves much multitasking and the wearing of ‘many hats’. At the end of the day, she knows that she is one of the lucky ones — and that’s what keeps her going as a nonprofit marketer.

“I know a lot of people who are going through very difficult times right now, and it makes me realize that no matter what may happen during the course of my day, there is always someone else with a greater struggle or burden to bear. This keeps things in perspective for me and helps me stay positive, motivated, and thankful.”

Farah Ng

Farah is a communications professional that specializes in connecting healthcare nonprofits with their target audiences through social media and traditional public relations. She has worked with organizations such as Saint Elizabeth Health Care and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) Foundation.